UCD’s VLE Transition Journey“Orange is the new Black”

University College Dublin

About UCD

• Ireland’s largest University• One of Europe’s largest University campus’s

• A global research intensive University• 25,000 FTE Students (approx. 34,000, 25%

international)• 4,000 Faculty & Staff (30% international)

• Undergraduate, post graduate, post doctorate, CPD, open learning, life long learning

• Face to face – blended - fully online

Phase 1:VLE Review,

Needs Analysis &

Tender

• Understand rationale • Governance• Steering / Project group established• Focus on

• end user engagement • communications & transparency• socializing the “potential for change”

• Microsite – www.ucd.ie/futurevle• Key Inputs

• student & faculty surveys • focus groups• special interest group reports• strategy documents• recent curriculum review report

• Tendering Process

Review Engage Procure

Communications Campaign

Faculty & Staff Survey

Student Survey

Mini tender

HEAnet VLE Framework

(Irelands National Research & Education

Network)

• 4 Pre Qualified Suppliers (Blackboard, Hosted Moodle, Instructure, D2L)

• Invitation to participate in a Vendor Day

• 2 hour presentation to key stakeholder group – semi structured• Roadmap• Use Case (similar sized University to UCD)• Why you believe your product would be a good fit for UCD• Product Demo• Q&A

• RFP Issued

• Responses & Clarifications

• Evaluation

• Final Clarifications

• Selection

Procurement Outcome

Phase 2:VLE Transition

• VLE Transition management• UMT Education Group – Governance - Registrar• Oversight – Decision Making – Dean of Student• Project team – Operational – Project Manager

• Key decisions• 18 month timeline (overlap with Blackboard) Mar

2018 – Sept 2019• Content (to migrate or not?)• Phased approach• Additional services/solutions to be purchased • Connected services

• Communications & continuous feedback

D2L Inputs

• Project Kick Off Day• Solution Portfolio• Platform Set up & Configuration • Implementation Consultant & Project Manager

Meetings

UCD’s Approach

Cohort Criteria Term Dates Modules Students

Early Adopters Volunteers Semester 1 Sep – Dec 2018 100 3,000

Cohort 1 All Semester 2 modules, except final year UG

Semester 2 Jan – May 2019 2,000 25,000 (total)

Cohort 1A All Semester 3 Semester 3 May - Aug 2019 350 No additional

Cohort 2 All remaining Semester 1 Sep – Dec 2019 3,000 35,000 (total)

What have we learned / adjusted?

Platform•Solution Portfolio•Roles & Permissions•Org Units & Org Structure•Manage Change Requests

1Content•Migration•Holding Modules

2Systems Integration•Banner•Grades•Module Access System

3Training•Duration•Format

4Support•EA Phase•Scaling•EUS from D2L

5

So far..

• Students• Almost seamless transition• Very limited need for support• Feedback - Platform feels fresh, similar to social media

platforms, easy to use

• Faculty• Majority are getting on with business as usual post transition• Biggest training challenge – “unlearning” Blackboard• Adjusting to flatter content structure• Some difficulties with grading / feedback workflows

• General• Some pressure to move to next phase – learning analytics,

outcomes mapping, etc• Impact on local support team – same as other starts of term• Side effect – reviewing of module set up / structures – both a

positive and an unexpected task• ”Issues” are very specific / advanced

Brightspace & UCD

Module (Course) Descriptor Widget

1

Insights Dashboard

2

Grades Transfer

3

Grades Transfer –Brightspace -InfoHub (SIS)

Critical success factor for Brightspace transition

Faculty interaction happens via InfoHub (Banner)

Faculty choose an assessment component and select the corresponding Brightspace grades to import.

Eliminates potential for human error

Utilises the All Grades Dataset

Workflow – An API calls the dataset, moves it to a VM and inserts it into a table within Banner. From here it is interrogated to provide the data necessary for the grades transfer process.

Faculty – Grades Transfer

Faculty – Grades Transfer

Questions